


A hackers employment

by Tallowwood



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Gav has a rough start, Hacker Gavin had some bad luck, I managed to write this much before running out of steam, I'll most likely write a sequel, I'll write a sequel if it's good enough, Jeremy Dooley/Gavin Free is... implied, M/M, Oh yes. Implied character death!, blackmail turns into family, potential sequel will have the actual relationship, this MIGHT become a series?, tw for panic and anxiety, tw for some violence, well. heh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-09 20:29:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20515982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallowwood/pseuds/Tallowwood
Summary: Take the technology away from the hacker and he’s pretty much useless, which is what happens to Gavin. He moved to Los Santos and was immediately mugged.But after a few months on the street, he might’ve accidentally snatched the wrong wallet?(10/05/2020: currently working on the sequel)





	1. chapter 1

Gavin’s joints were stiff, his hands numb, and his head heavy with a cold that had been pestering him for longer than he suspected was normal.

Thin clothing barely protecting against the cold under a blanket of newspaper, the brit tucked tighter into himself with a shuddering breath.

_‘I need something,’_ he pondered, a cough rattling through his lungs _‘I don’t know what, but I need SOMETHING.’_

His fingers curled into fists and his neck cracked as he tilted his head to peer out of the alley he’d ended up in tonight, snow falling like the down of a thousand doves over the pavement; to which he rolled his eyes.

_‘Now’s not the time for poetic licence’_ he grumbled, unable to voice it aloud thanks to a lucky shot that tosser had landed on his throat a few days ago. 

Talking of violence, Gavin could hear gunfire in the distance- so with a rush of dread pooling in his stomach, he tucked himself further into the wall where sharp stones and bottle shards dug into his skin.

Manic laughter burst over the sudden roar of speeding vehicles rushing past his hiding place, sirens screeching through the night.

And just as he thought it was over, a shadow slipped into the brits’ space.

Battling the urge to growl angrily, he side-eyed this new problem.

Whoever they were, they looked short and tough; so, Gavin kept as still as possible, heart hammering.

The stranger swore violently, edging over to a wall and leant around the corner, raising their hand to an earpiece “ok, I’ve lost the cops, you guys are on your own from here.”

The bloke was wearing the strangest combination of purple and orange as he turned to face the rest of the area, only to pause when he passed over Gavin’s spot.

_‘Shit, shit, shit, shit’_ he thought, trying to tug the newspaper further over his head.

“Hey buddy, you okay?” 

Gavin tensed; hands pressed against the ground beneath him. He knew who this was now; a Fakes crew member- the entire reason he’d moved to Los Santos- and now here they were.

He felt so bloody embarrassed. 

A hand touched his shoulder through the layers and Gavin acted.

He shot to his feet, pushing off the ground and startling the man just enough to get a head start.

“Hey, wai-!” 

The brit didn’t bother to stick around long enough to find out the rest, he just ran.

Clambering over fences and winding through back streets in his adrenalin fuelled state, he didn’t even realise he hadn’t been followed until he’d climbed onto a roof and collapsed by an air duct. 

Up here, the wind howled, and the snow gathered around him like deaths blanket.

His vision blurred.

======

Dusk was cold and dark when he next opened his eyes, the snow having halted during the day and left him in heavy damp clothing.

He watched a stream of fog billow from his mouth in a tired sigh, particles catching in the rays of cold moonlight amongst shadow.

A fit of harsh coughs jittered through his ribs as he made his way over to the ladder off the roof, causing a headache to break its way into the forefront of his mind; pounding into his temples and throbbing behind his eyes.

He slipped his way down the ladder with shaking, numb limbs and landed awkwardly at the bottom, a sharp pain shooting up his left leg.

Limping, Gavin made his way over to lean on the rusted fence separating him from the open walkway slowly filling with the normal crowd of nightlife gits.

He’d given up on begging for money on the second week, all it’d ever gotten him in this city was bruised and insulted, so pick-pocketing was his next step- if only he had better clothing and a shower, it would benefit him more often.

Speaking of which, he nimbly tugged a wallet out of a passing man’s back pocket through the chain links and darted away as they jerked in surprise, hiding behind a pile of rubbish as the man fumbled to find the possession.

“Dicks!” was all he shouted after realizing it was gone, before stomping off.

Gavin let a little smile slip out before sneaking away and opening the wallet- 

_‘oh, you’ve got to be having a laugh’_ he scowled, staring down at the ID in the wallet.

The bloody photo was of the leader himself, Geoff Lazer Ramsey.

He pulled out a few notes before throwing it to the ground in frustration, who knew what sort of tracking devices that guy had on his sodding wallet. 

Thank fuck he was wearing gloves; he kicked that shit back onto the street and skulked into the shadows.

_‘There’s a gas station close by, I think.’_

The headache still hadn’t passed, and now it shot through the shock of stealing from the Fakes leader and left Gavin’s eyes watering.

“Sh-… t” he gurgled, throat catching on the word and forcing him into another coughing fit. 

_‘Don’t speak. Right’_ the brit refrained from touching the bruise on his throat, worry he’d never be able to talk again flashed through him.

_‘Nah, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.’_

He soldiered on, wondering how he’d been so unlucky as to come across so many Fakes in such a short time _‘it’s a conspiracy I tell you.’_

Pausing, the blond grimaced _‘talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, Gavin.’_

He would’ve gone on, but there was a click behind him.

He spun around, suddenly panicked and- wITH GOOD FUCKING REASON BECAUSE THERE WAS A BLEEDING GUN IN HIS FACE.

His hands shot up and he would have gotten to his knees if his assailant hadn’t bashed him on his temple, the cracking pain of metal mixing terribly with the pre-existing headache and causing a wave of nausea to wash through him.

As he lost the battle to stay conscious, he hoped he’d managed to chunder on the twats shoes.

======

Gavin was cold.

He was hungry, cold, and feeling like shit.

He cracked his gunk filled eyes open to find himself in a blank white room with a plain bed in one corner and an empty desk beside him.

Gavin was tied to the desk's chair.

Gavin was tied to a desk chair and despite his hacker status, he was not happy about it.

Especially when there was no computer to go with it.


	2. chapter 2

How many bloody hours had it been?!

Gavin had no idea, but his cold had definitely taken advantage of the lapse in activity to hit him hard.

Thank Christ the chair had wheels. If ever he’d been granted a mercy, wheeled chairs were his saviour.

So, with this in mind, he scooted his way to the bed with the tips of his tattered shoes.

Staring down at it revealed little, just a cream white duvet- no, they called it a comforter, right? 

Bloody confusing bastards.

A cream white ‘comforter’ tucked over a stark white mattress and pillow, all of which pulled off the ‘uncomfortable’ look effectively.

But the sickness was worse than the potential sore neck, so he took a breath and heaved forward.

And fell face first onto the bed; even if he remained stuck to the chair.

And now said chair was weighing down on his lungs.

_‘This is fine.’_

The sharp snap of a door unlocking ricochet through the room.

_‘This is not fine.’_ Gavin amended, wiggling to relieve the building pressure on his chest, and hopefully, turn sideways.

“What the actual Fuck are you doing?” a feminine voice asked.

_‘Nobs’_ he cursed, sliding his face out from under him to eye whoever this was.

A redhead wearing a Hawaiian shirt and beige shorts? 

Instead of answering, Gavin let out a snotty cough.

The woman grimaced “right.”

She strode over and heaved his chair back onto all four wheels, sitting down on the bed opposite him and shoving a spoonful of soup into his face “eat. Now.”

When he only stared back, the redhead huffed “we can’t interrogate a corpse, eat before you starve.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow.

First, that wasn’t how that worked.

And second, he knew who this was now.

_‘Jack, 37-years-old, trans female, worked in the air force for several years before going off the radar and joining Ramsey.’_

He sulked _‘if I had my full setup and a place no one could find me, I’d have so much more information.’_

“Oh, for Fuck’s sake.”

Jack grabbed his jaw and squeezed, forcing his mouth open to pour the soup onto his tongue.

It didn’t taste that bad if he was honest, but his pride still stood.

“Look, if it were up to me, you’d be dead a few times over by now,” she stated, “but Geoff thinks you might be useful.”

Gavin barely caught her mutter a ‘though I can’t see how’ under her breath.

He would respond but at that moment someone else stepped into the room.

It was him.

Perpetually half-lidded eyes roamed over the Brits’ scruffy state, and Jacks disgruntled expression as she held a bowl of soup in hand.

Gavin decided this wasn’t the grandest situation to be in.

Geoff, leader of the Fake AH Crew, strode up to his chair and leaned forward “I think it’s time we had a talk.”

======

Jack had left the room, and now Gavin was alone with Him.

The brit sunk into the chair, cold glare of Ramsey weighing him down.

“So,” the older man started, scratching his check absentmindedly “what’s Britain’s Golden Boy doing in a place like this?”

Gavin’s blood ran cold.

_‘Shit. Fuck. Bullocks. TITS.’_

They weren’t meant to know who he was!

How the bleeding HELL did they know who he was!?

“From that expression, I’d say you’re running from something” Geoff continued, twirling a small pocketknife between his fingers.

Gavin felt nauseous, acid burning the back of his throat.

This was NOT planned.

One tattooed hand snapped out and caught his shirt collar, hefting the blond an inch off the ground; The chair included.

Murky blue eyes roiling with experience and plans pierced through the younger man’s own green eye, foggy with sickness.

“I will make you a deal, Gavin David Free,” the boss growled, pronouncing his full name pointedly, “work with me, or I call your hunters.”

Geoff promptly dropped him back to the ground and stepped back.

Through the explosive coughing fit that came next, Gavin barely caught the king's last words before he walked out.

“Think about it.”

‘As if I’d say yes’ he gagged, struggling to turn his chair towards a small bin he’d seen earlier. 

Seems the drop Geoff provided had damaged the shitty chair, though, because there was a sudden jolt and he found himself falling forwards.

He twisted to the side and was rewarded by a sharp pain crackling through his shoulder.

And there went the contents of his stomach over the carpet.

======

A splitting headache woke him up next, lying in the bed this time.

The smell of orange-scented chemicals wafted through the room, and when he turned his head, he spotted the chair with a duct-tape covered wheel.

There was also an off-coloured patch by the bin, so Gavin could safely guess he’d missed when vomiting.

The door creaked open, and the brit snapped his gaze back to the door.

Wide eyes blinked back at him, bald head and clean-cut beard resting atop an atrocity of purple and orange clothing.

Gavin must have been showing his disgust because the visitor laughed awkwardly “yeah, you don’t like my taste in fashion. Don’t worry, no one does.”

_‘Oh, I’m definitely not worried’_ he thought, raising an eyebrow as the other man came over to sit on the empty desk.

“So, Geoff said you’re our new crew member?” they asked.

The blond nodded slowly, trying hard not to show too much contempt. 

“Dude, that’s so cool! Man, I remember when I was first recruited. Don’t worry, everyone’s cool once you get to know them.”

_‘Did you get locked in a room when you first got here, too?’_ he grumbled, rolling over and closing his eyes.

“Yeah,” the bloke trailed off, tugging at his jacket “I’ll let you sleep now, bud. I’m Jeremy, by the way.”

Gavin rolled his eyes.

_‘I know.’_


	3. chapter 3

Gavin felt a little better when he next opened his eyes.

His throat no longer hurt, and he didn’t have a headache anymore.

His nose was still full of snot, though- “hey, asshole!”

And suddenly there was a heavy bag pressing into his ribs, fiery brown eyes glaring down at him over its top.

“Get up, new guy. Here’s your stuff,” the eyes owner snapped, leaning back to reveal a freckled face framed by curly hair “put it together yourself.”

He concluded that the man was most likely Michael as he watched him stomp out of the room.

Gavin looked down at the black bag.

_‘I have to set this up myself?’_ he sighed, pushing up into a sitting position.

It was the same room, so obviously Geoff had decided the brit agreed to work for him; and whilst he wished he could say that wasn’t so… he had no real choice.

Sniffing, the smell of cooking wafted under his nose, so he scanned the room.

Nothing in here.

But the knot in his stomach still twisted, so with a feeble determination Gavin pulled himself out of bed and headed for the door.

It clicked open smoothly, revealing a quiet hallway.

There didn’t seem to be anyone around, so he stepped out.

He shuffled towards an archway with morning light pooling around it, the smell of food growing stronger as he approached.

Slowly, suppressing a cough, the brit leant around the corner.

And was confronted by the sight of Jack Pattillo, Jeremy Dooley, and Alfredo Diaz sitting at the kitchen bench looking sleepy as a grumpy Michael Jones cooked eggs and bacon.

Gavin felt exposed, but before he could back away, Jeremy looked up and smiled.

“Hey, the new guy’s finally gotten out of his room!”

“New guy?” Alfredo asked, before looking over and blinking in understanding “ooh, THAT new guy. Yo!”

Gav felt like making a break for the door; Alfredo ‘take no prisoners’ Diaz just saw him.

“Hey!” Michael barked, shooting a glare at the blond “Get over here and eat or go back to your room, we’ve got a tight schedule today.”

He edged over to the farthest bench seat and sat down, watching Jeremy smile sympathetically before starting a conversation with Jack.

“So, what the fuck did YOU do to get hired?” the explosives expert demanded, dumping a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him.

Gavin barely remembered to shrug before he was inhaling the breakfast, it had been too long since he’d had proper food.

“Oh yeah, you were that guy in the Alleyway during the last heist!” Jeremy snapped his fingers, grinning “and then you stole Geoff’s wallet.”

Michael's eyebrows rose dramatically “are you fucking serious? Dude, I’m surprised you’re not dead!”

The brit grimaced, rubbing at his still healing throat “mhm.”

He didn’t dare try to speak yet, remembering his previous attempts.

“Yeah, doc said you shouldn’t talk for a few days; Larynga-Laryngeal trauma or something.” Alfredo piped up, having finished his meal and begun heading towards the lounge-room.

Promptly falling onto a couch and starting up a game of Mario Kart on the tv; the others promptly rushing to join as Gav continued to eat.

====

Bloody. Sodding. Shitting. DISHES.

He wished he could just smash them, but he’d probably get shot; so, he kept the complaints to a minimum.

This stress was wearing at his nerves.

A large hand landed on his shoulder and a bowl slipped from his wet fingers, crashing onto the floor.

He knew he was shaking; he could feel it.

The hand weighed heavily on him, and he barely noticed the noise in the lounge dying down as they heard the bowl shatter.

His head jerked back to see who was touching him, to discover a skull mask.

A spike of anger shot through him.

This was the tosser who’d knocked him out!

Almost on instinct, Gavin lashed out with a soapy fist.

Surprisingly enough, his punch hit its mark, leaving the bigger bloke to release his grip and step back with a grunt.

Of course, even with that success, there were other people around; so, he ended up getting held back by a cursing bomber.

“y-!... Fuh-!... Tw-guh-!” Gavin gurgled; this twat was the one who’d gotten him into this mess!

If he’d just let him walk away-!

“Calm down, fuckface!” Michael yelled, pulling the blond over to a couch and stuffing him onto it.

But before anything else could be done, there was a sharp clap by the front door, and Geoff stepped out into view with another man- Trevor- beside him.

“I see everyone’s met the fresh meat.”

The brit went limp, knowing there was nothing more he could do in this situation.

Jack stepped forward at this point, looking pissed “so, what exactly are we going to be using this kid for?”

“Hacker.”

Now THAT got a reaction.

“What? But Matt’s our hacker!” Michael piped up, looking down at Gavin in alarm “what’s this guy got that he doesn’t?”

Geoff smirked “Matt’s got nothing on this kid, he’s a legend behind a computer screen.”

“And that means?” The Vagabond asked, leaning against a wall.

“This kid,” the boss continued, laying a hand on Gavs head “is none other than The Golden Boy of Britain, himself.”

“Wait, really?!” Jeremy gasped, looking at the blond “dude! You’re so cool!”

Gavin raised an eyebrow from where he was still squashed into a couch _‘You say, as I’m trapped in your crews base with blackmail hanging over my head.’_

“Ok, so here’s the deal” Geoff began.

====

_‘So, I’m stuck working for the infamously chaotic Fake AH Crew,’_ he pondered later, whilst plugging in the last few wires for his computer _‘this isn’t what I meant when saying they were the ones I moved here for.’_

In truth, he’d only chosen to hide out in Los Santos because it was far away from Britain and this crew seemed like fun to mess with.

If things had gone to plan, he’d be dismantling the group until they reverted to individual criminals roaming the streets and rotting in jail by now.

But sometimes entertainment gets interrupted, so now he’ll just have to find a new way to stave off boredom.

_‘The first chance I can get, I could rob them blind and defect to another gang?’_ he mused _‘they HAVE blackmailed me, so it would be a reasonable revenge.’_

A smile tugged at his lips “hmm.”


	4. chapter 4

A knock awoke Gavin the next morning.

“Hey, you missed breakfast, so I thought I’d- Wow” Jeremy's voice broke through his sleep-addled brain, sounding… impressed?

The brit cracked an eye open, finding the other bloke standing in his doorway with a plate of toast and egg in hand.

“Dude, I don’t think anyone’s made a mess this quickly in their new room before,” Jeremy breathed, before pausing “well, maybe Ryan.”

_‘Ryan?’_ Gav thought, scrawling his memories for information _‘oh, right. Ryan, the Vagabond.’_

_‘Fantastic.’_

Jeremy laughed at his expression “yeah, Geoff told us how you ended up here, sorry about that; Haywood’s not the gentlest kidnapper.”

The shorter man came over to sit on the desk chair, holding out the plate “so, do you want the breakfast or not?”

Gavin huffed, sitting up in bed and taking the food out of the others’ hand.

The toast was burnt, and the egg was sunny side up, but it was still better than anything he’d eaten in a while.

“Uh,” Jeremy smiled awkwardly “can I ask why THE golden boy is hiding in Los Santos of all places?”

The brit shook his head _‘no. It’s bad enough they know I’m running from something at all, I’m not going to give them any more ammunition.’_

The man seemed to deflate a little “yeah, I just think you’re cool.”

The sick hacker looked up at that, raising his eyebrows in question.

_‘This bloke thinks a dangerous hacker from England, KNOWN for stealing and backstabbing throughout his career, is cool?’_

“Oh!” Jeremy's cheeks flushed “I just meant- well- You stole from the QUEEN and- sure you gave it back- but that was an awesome power move and-”

“HehEhe!” Gavin cackled, covering his mouth against a barrage of coughs.

The younger man sat straighter, startled. 

Honestly, Gavin was surprised; he knew his flashy persona was fabulous, but to gain a fan?

He gave Jeremy his famous grin, wishing he still had his golden aviators for the full effect.

Dooley blushed deeper, seeming to hide in that atrocious purple suit jacket.

“Hey, assholes, rock paper scissors for grocery shopping today!” Geoff’s voice boomed outside.

“Ah damnit, Alfredo always cheats in this I swear” Jeremy sighed, shooting Gavin an apologetic look as he left the room.

They were both halted, though, when Geoff piped back up “oh yeah, bring Gavin through here as well!”

After a shared glance, both men headed for the door and out towards the lounge where the boss promptly clapped his hands.

“Now, whoever loses not only has to get the shopping but also, take Gavin out with them,” he declared, shooting everyone a stern look “for team bonding purposes.”

Said hacker scowled, sitting down to watch the ensuing “battle.”

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

_‘Oh, for Pete’s sake!’_

The bloody Vagabond lost.

====

It was a cold morning.

The air, dry and still, seemed to hang from Gavin’s shoulders like a stifling shawl.

It burned his airways as he breathed, irritating his throat.

“Hurry up” Ryan growled in front of him, shooting a dark look over his shoulder with piercing blue eyes.

There had been a quiet argument between him and Geoff this morning about taking his mask off in front of the new guy, but ultimately Ryan had lost.

_‘Prick’_ the brit scowled, striding forward as they neared a grocery store.

The older man stopped outside the automatic door to shoot Gavin a scowl “stay out here, I don’t feel like dealing with extra weight hovering over me if it can’t even help carry the shopping.”

The hacker huffed, turning to lean against the light pole outside the store _‘I’m not that weak, but whatever.’_

With a long sigh, Ryan stepped into the artificial light and left the golden boy out in the early morning shadows.

Watching his steamed breath twirl in the biting wind, Gavin began closing his eyes-.

“Well, what would you know! Seems the fool’s gold found some friends!”

_‘Bullocks!’_

Gavin scrambled to turn around, coming face to face with the smirking features of his assailant.

“Didn’t we tell you to stay off our turf?” the manky git sneered, two more thugs stepping up behind him.

Adrenalin was pumping through him, body lowered into a strange half crouch. 

_‘What turf- the entire city? Fuck off, wankers!’_ he thought hysterically. 

“Get him, boys.”

A strong hand seized Gavin by the shoulder, hauling him forward.

A punch to the gut.

The wind knocked out of him.

Getting kneed in the chin as he doubled over.

His mind fuzzed, thoughts scrambling like static.

Sight dimming, he flailed an arm.

His knuckles connected with something.

A pained grunt.

“You little-!”

Another kick to the head.

He was on the ground, now; face half buried in melting snow.

His ears rung, and he felt something warm dripping from his lips.

“Hey!” 

A new voice?

Some form of scuffle broke out above him.

And suddenly he was being hoisted up bridal style, a familiar grey skull looking down at him.

====

“Jesus Christ, dude,” Jeremy sighed, watching Jack finish checking Gavin over for any serious injuries “keep this up and I’ll start calling you bad luck.”

“Mph” Gav grunted, holding an icepack against his jaw.

The shorter man grinned “get better soon so we can heist together, ok?”

The brit rolled his eyes dramatically as Jack pushed Jeremy out of the medical room.

But couldn’t hide a smile from tugging at his lips.


	5. chapter 5

“Hey, fuckface!” the ever-angry Michael started, swinging open Gavin’s door with a controller in hand “wanna play?”

The brit blinked, turning away from his very important hacking work to raise an eyebrow at him.

“What?” he snapped defensively “everyone else is busy and Geoff told up to socialise with you!”

He eyed the files he’d just finished swiping for the boss, before shrugging _‘may as well, got nothing better to do.’_

He followed the hot head out to the lounge where Mario Kart had already been set up with split screen on the tv. 

Michael dropped onto the sofa with a loud huff, tossing him a spare controller.

Gavin snorted at the purple and orange gizmo in his hands, he could only imagine who this might belong to.

The bomber next to him raised an eyebrow as he started a game “what- got a problem with Jeremy?”

The threat was loud and clear, so the blond quickly shrugged dismissively. 

“Damn right” he growled, successfully winning the first race.

A silence fell over the room, allowing Gavin to focus on trying to beat this nobhead.

The chatter of buttons, a few sudden jerks of movement, and-

“HA!” Michael shouted, jumping up in triumph “take that, bitch!”

Gav had fallen back against the couch with a groan of frustration, but still flipped the bird at that comment.

“C’mon, rematch!”

With an eye-roll, they started a new game.

“Hey.”

Gavin turned towards Michael, who looked sombre “I’m sorry we’ve- y’know- blackmailed you into working for us.”

_‘Why the hell are YOU apologising for this?’_ the brit thought, incredulous.

“I know I’m not the one that did it, but- you were on the streets, weren’t you?”

The hacker narrowed his eyes.

“I mean- I heard Geoff talking about it and-!” he cut himself off, “Look, the dicks who beat you up yesterday did it, didn’t they- they were the ones who threw you into the streets?”

Gavin nodded; eyes narrowed.

“They’re a bunch of punks that’ve been after our territory for a while now, evidently they’re utter shit at it, but they still try.”

“That’s probably what led them to beat up the fanciest looking person to leave the airport- like they were trying to send some sort of message that they were untouchable or something.”

_‘And here I was assuming they just thought I was rich’_ the brit grumbled.

“I don’t know why we haven’t killed them all, yet” Michael sulked, character crashing into a wall on the map.

Gavin shrugged _‘probably some bullshit criminal politics.’_

Before there could be any more banter, though, the front door burst open and Alfredo tumbled in with a wounded Jeremy hanging from his shoulder. 

The blond froze, eyes widening at the growing patch of red on the short man’s shoulder.

“Lil’ J!” he croaked, rushing over to said man's side and helping Alfredo carry him to the medical room.

====

“Getting your voice back?” Jack asked, leaning against the kitchen counter a Gavin sat on the other side.

“Slowly” he rasped, words crackling in his throat.

She nodded, looking over at the room Jeremy was now resting in “those brats were the ones who did it.”

At his inquisitive glance, the pilot jerked her thumb toward Michael's room “he admitted to telling you about our little problem with the punks that beat you up.”

Gavin nodded, a spike of anger jolting through his chest “twats.”

A grin broke out over her face “agreed.”

“Anyway, we’ve got a job planned for this weekend and since Jeremy’s out of commission, you’re up,” Jack's expression grew serious “think you can handle it?”

His gut twisted, unease weighing heavily on his lungs.

He wasn’t the greatest brawler, which was hopefully obvious to them by now.

But he was also planning to betray them like he had everyone else in his life.

Did they know about that?

Were they going to off him before it came to be?

_‘Piss.’_

He swallowed painfully, plastering on a confident smirk as he nodded. 

She clapped him on the shoulder with a grin “I promise it’ll be fun.”

_‘For you, maybe’_ Gavin grimaced, standing up to head back to his room.

He paused in front of Jeremy's room, quietly cracking it open to peek in.

The younger man was sleeping quietly on his back, chest bare and injured shoulder wrapped securely in clean bandages.

With great hesitance, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him; moving to sit on an abandoned chair by the window.

“Hey.”

Gavin jolted, looking over to see Jeremy awake and smiling at him.

He frowned, dragging his chair over to check on the short man “you need rest!”

Dooley let out a deep laugh, noticeably wincing as it pulled at his wound “yeah, but you’re here.”

“What does that have-?!” the hacker broke out into a coughing fit, shooting a confounded look at the other man. 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Jeremy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gav nodded.

He grinned “well, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have something to say; and I can’t really listen if I’m asleep, can I?”

The brit clasped his hands, looking down at the floor “you’re too nice.”

“And?”

Gavin let out an involuntary chuckle at that, tilting his head up “and I’m sorry you got shot.”

Jeremy huffed a laugh, shaking his head “Not your fault.”

And with that, the brit watched him fall back to sleep.

====

_A Mouse, screen, and keyboard._

_Geoff and Michael walking past._

_Sitting with Jeremy._

_Playing Mario Kart with Jack._

_Jeremy turning towards him and grinning brightly._


	6. chapter 6

Geoff stood by the whiteboard with scattered piles of information surrounding him.

Jack sat at the desk quietly, fiddling with her phone.

Fiona, a relatively new member who’d previously been out of town, sat beside her; flicking hairbands at Alfredo across from her.

Michael leant against a wall, still looking half asleep in the early hours of the morning.

And Ryan sat by the door shooting Gavin a look that dared him to try and run.

“The goal today is to rob every single convenience store around and meet up on Mt. Chiliad after losing the cops,” the boss started, before grimacing “you know what to do if it fails, though.”

Gavin held back a snort, knowing full well how successful they could be.

“It’s pretty simple, but we’ve gotta do something a little smaller to get Golden Boy used to our style” Geoff continued.

The vagabond began to rise from his spot, only to freeze when a knife embedded itself in the wall by his head; the kingpins’ eyes stormy with exasperation “just fuckin’ go with it, dick.”

The brit could hear the other man grumbling as he settled back down, before turning his attention back to the plan.

“Jack, Michael, and Fiona will tackle the ones in Blaine County, Ryan and I can take the stores from Little Seoul to Chumash, and Gavin can go with Alfredo for the rest.”

Geoff snapped his fingers “oh yeah, and Alfredo?” 

Said man raised an eyebrow.

“Remember not to turn your back on Gavin.”

There seemed to be a sudden tension among a few of the members after that, Michael constantly fidgeting in his corner with a furrowed brow and Jack sporting a small frown, even Alfredo himself looked a bit perturbed.

Gav just gave an uncaring shrug, though inside he suspected his previous notions that they’d be ‘taking care’ of him were about to come true.

He bit the inside of his cheek and left once they’d been dismissed, heading straight for his room as always; knowing someone would bring him some dinner when the time arrived, like always.

God, this was getting tedious.

_’If only- No, wishing it had gone differently is pointless.’_ he scowled, falling into his desk chair and booting up the desktop.

_’Bullocks.’_

He sighed, pulling up the files he needed and getting to work on all the little jobs Geoff had been consistently handing him.

The familiar tapping of keys and extracting of information was soothing, in a way.

Reminding him of when he was back in England laughing at people’s misfortune through hacked security feeds.

A smile crept up on him as he remembered all those criminals dumb enough to try to recruit him.

He stopped typing, eyes stinging.

Well, dumb criminals until he’d run into that group.

Mechanically, he saved his progress and went to bed, completely ignoring Jack as she came to give him food.

Curling up on his bed, the burning in his eyes turned to tears; he couldn’t even register the pilot coming over and rubbing circles into his back.

How they’d gotten that information he didn’t know.

But.

The tears wouldn’t stop.

_‘Dan’_

====

“Ready?” Alfredo asked, standing beside Gav in the alley beside their first target.

“Sure” he muttered, leaning around to watch a few civilians wander out of the store.

Everyone had already headed out and radioed that they were in position, Geoff giving the order to start the bobberies shortly after.

So now here they were, nonchalantly strolling into one of their destinations and whipping out guns as soon as the last customer had left.

It honestly wasn’t as fun as hacking, in Gavin’s opinion, but-.

“Who was that?” Alfredo asked, turning towards the shop window as the brit collected the now full bag.

_‘Who?’_ the hacker grumbled, looking over to see a perfectly empty street outside.

Was this the start of the charade?

Were they going to pretend it was a mysterious assailant that killed him?

Wait, why would they do that? There’d be no reason to.

Maybe just to laugh at his “shock” when they reveal themselves?

They hadn’t seemed so sadistic, but he guessed he was wrong.

That’s how the world of crime worked.

Acting and lies.

It’s what he’d been doing.

It’s how he’d gotten the ‘Golden Boy’ title.

“Hey, let’s go, better get to the next store or we’ll fall behind.”

The brit tightened his grip on the gun in his hand, slowly following Alfredo back to the stolen bike they arrived on.

Promptly heading to the next location as sirens began wailing in the distance.

But as the other man muttered to himself about directions, Gav caught a glimpse of something.

“What in the shi-?” he began, before there was a crack of gunfire.

The motorbike swerved sharply, and it was all the hacker could do to pull his legs out of the way as they tipped sideways and skid down the icy street.

_‘Is this it?’_

Gavin lost his grip on Alfredo and slid to a stop in the snow.

Sirens growing louder in the distance.

Someone dragging him by the arms somewhere.

_‘So much for that revenge.’_

====

A sharp pain jolted him awake, head jerking to the side.

The world spun for a moment before someone grabbed his chin.

“Man, for someone called ‘The Golden Boy’ you sure aren’t very impressive.”

_‘You have GOT to be having a laugh.’_ he thought, instantly recognising that voice.

Prying open an eye; he confirmed his suspicion.

It was thE SaME SODDING PILE OF PISS that had been harassing him since he first got here!


	7. chapter 7

“It was a surprise when we found out the guy we’d beaten up was actually a famous criminal from Britain,” the leader commented, sitting back in the chair across from Gavin “even more of a surprise after finding out the Fakes had snapped you up.” 

The hacker stayed silent, prompting a chuckle from his captor.

“The Golden Boy was said to be a flamboyant ass who wore gaudy jewels and atrocious golden aviators,” they continued, leaning forward “where’s that arrogant persona now, hm?”

_‘Oh, so you want me to put on my work face? I’ll put on my fucking work face, tosser.’_

With a deep breath, Gavin pulled back his shoulders and allowed a condescending smile onto his face.

Thankfully, his voice had almost fully come back by now, with only a little rasp and a coughing fit here and there.

Meaning he might just be able to pull this off.

“So,” he sneered, lifting his chin haughtily “what exactly does a gang like yours want from me?”

And, hey, if it didn’t work; at least he’d be able to annoy the piss out of them before death.

With a raised eyebrow, the man leant forward “well now, that’s more like it. What I want, you ask? Hm, what could it be?”

He tilted his head “Let’s start with information on the Fakes. How much do you have on them?”

Gavin studied his murky brown eyes.

This could be his chance.

He could destroy the Fakes with this.

Teach them what happens when you blackmail THE Golden Boy.

A strange feeling twisted in his chest, but he ignored it with a smirk “all right, love; Let’s see…”

But as he began to share the crew’s schedules, something made him pause.

“Pray tell, how DID you find out I was the Golden Boy?” the hacker enquired, his smile suddenly razor sharp.

The man grinned “well, if you hadn’t noticed, there’s a group looking for you.”

Gavin’s blood ran cold, but he kept his grin firm “ah, I should have guessed.”

He tilted his head, observing the empty concrete room they were in “and I’m sure you’ve informed them of my location.”

“Naturally” the leader shrugged.

The brit gave him a pitying look, sticking his bottom lip out to emphasise his mockery “you poor little wanker.”

“What?”

The bloke was clearly thrown off by this reaction.

“You DO know they’ll kill you, too, right?” the blond prompted, raising his eyebrows in exaggerated worry.

If only he had his full getup on, he’d catch the light shining from the window above him and positively glow in front of this fools rapidly paling face.

Gavin laughed “to think such an amateur could stay alive for so long. Especially after shooting one of the Fakes.”

“Now, hold on-.”

“No,” the hacker cut in “I don’t think I will. How long have you been in this business? You seem rather young. Parent troubles, maybe? Sociopath?”

He looked down on the smaller figure in front of him “are you finally comprehending your stupidity? Realised you’re trying to intimidate someone worse than you?”

“You can’t do shit! We’ve beaten you down before!” they shot back, in a truly feeble attempt to regain the high ground.

“Hm, yes, your surprise attack at the airport was impressive,” Gavin conceded “then at the store, still recovering from the aftereffects of the first beating.”

“See?!” the kid jumped to his feet, ready to punch his light out-.

A shot rang through the room.

And the Golden Boy found himself looking down at the kids collapsed form, a red stain seeping through their shirt.

“Huh” Gavin stated.

“‘Huh’ indeed, dickwad” Geoff snipped back, lowering his gun.

==== 

“Well, that went to shit” Jack spoke up from where she sat in the lounge.

“No kidding” Michael snorted, glancing over at Alfredo as he wrapped a bandage over a badly burnt leg.

“Man, I didn’t want to kill them. They were just kids, dude; but then they just had to try kidnapping my hacker!” the kingpin growled, pacing the room.

“YOUR hacker?” the brit asked, leaning back in his seat.

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know if you heard, but that twit from earlier admitted to informing the group of my whereabouts, therefore, your blackmail is useless.”

Everyone shifted at that, peculiar expressions overtaking their faces.

Ramsey raised an eyebrow “so, you’ll be leaving then?”

“I’d only get killed if I stayed here.”

Now that grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Now what the fuck does THAT mean?” Michael asked, looking dumbfounded.

“Yeah…” Geoff said, looking at the hacker with a furrowed brow “what the shit DOES that mean?”

Gavin grew confused, shifting back as he replied defensively “hey, hey, I’m not here by choice so obviously I was going to plan a betrayal, and to avoid that you’d definitely plot to kill me before I executed it.”

There was silence.

And then.

“Um, no?” Alfredo piped up, looking alarmed “we just thought you were cool, so we hired you.”

“HIRED?!”

“Yeah, dude! Blackmail is how we hire people! What else are we meant to do in this business?” the former mercenary questioned.

The brit sunk into his chair “that is the shoddiest hiring system I’ve ever bloody heard of.”

“Can’t deny its effectiveness, though!” Jeremy sang as he stuck his head into the room with a bright grin, holding out a plate of pancakes “c’mon, Fiona’s making breakfast for dinner!”

But as everyone began gravitating towards the kitchen, Jeremy hung back.

“Hey,” he said, looking over at Gavin with a friendly smile “remember how I told you that ‘everyone’s cool once you get to know them’?”

“Yeah?”

The shorter man gave a thumbs up “well, I wasn’t lying; we were all kidnap-hired and in your position at one point. Man, I heard Michael raised hell for a whole year before he came around!”

“Isn’t that called Stockholm syndrome?” the blond queried, unimpressed.

Dooley, scratching at his bandaged shoulder “hm, I don’t actually know… none of us were ever tortured? They just sat us in a room like you and let us get used to everything.”

With a sudden burst of laughter, he snapped his fingers and looked over at the brit “like they were adopting cats!”

Gavin let out a small chuckle, observing this strange bloke in front of him trying not to spill pancakes on the floor.

_‘Maybe it won’t be so bad.’_

====

“Golden Boy.”

Gav stopped in front of his door, looking back to see Ryan behind him.

“Hm?”

The Vagabond crossed his arms huffily “I’m sorry for how roughly I treated you.”

The brit paused, thinking back to Jeremy.

He allowed a small smile onto his face as he stepped into his bedroom “don’t worry about it, Rye-bread.”


	8. chapter 8

The next morning, Gavin found himself alone with Geoff in the penthouse.

The kingpin stood in the living room doorway, watching the brit eat half-burnt toast.

Pushing down the unease towards his silent judge; he pulled out some notes to focus on, circling any pieces of information that could help in his upcoming workload.

It was silent. 

“So, were you going to betray us?”

The brit kept his head down as he heard the click of Geoff releasing the safety on his gun.

“If I’d had more time, then yes.”

The kingpin raised an eyebrow “you say that as if you’ve run out.”

Gavin blinked, turning to give the gun barrel an incredulous glance.

“Haven’t I?”

“How would I know?” Ramsey replied, lowering his weapon with a shrug “I’m just your boss.”

And with that, he clicked the safety back into place and dumped it on the couch next to the hacker, shambling off.

_‘What the Christ was that?’_ Gav thought, slowly lowering his gaze to the gun.

Once again, there was silence.

Gavin eyed the firearm, pulling it over to check the magazine. 

His lips curled upwards, a glimmer entering his eyes for the first time in months.

It was empty.

Glancing over to the kitchen, he spotted Geoff drinking a diet coke and trying desperately to look nonchalant.

_‘You’re right, boss; I haven’t run out.’_

The hacker tossed the gun back down and got up from his spot, moving to face the other man.

_‘I’ve got all the time in the world.’_

He stepped forward and held out a hand confidently.

With a hint of confusion, the kingpin returned the handshake “I was expecting a gun to my head.”

“I checked the magazine,” he flashed his Golden Boy grin “I look forward to working for you properly from now on, Ramsey.”

Geoff chuckled “glad to have you.”

Excitement sparked in the brits chest, now; realizing exactly what this meant.

“Now, I need to borrow some money” his grin widened, already knowing exactly where he’d be going to spend it.

With raised eyebrows, the boss pulled out his wallet “oh? What will you be doing with it?”

“Please,” Gavin laughed, gesturing to his baggy spare clothes “there’s a reason I’m called The Golden Boy, and this getup isn’t it.”

“Fair point,” was his response, getting handed a card “knock yourself out.”

====

He could hear everyone in the lounge, having returned from their various outings some hours ago as Gav prepared in his room.

Now it was time.

The familiar feeling of golden aviators resting on his nose reassures him as the last touch-ups on his outfit took place, stepping through his door and gliding towards the noise.

“Good afternoon, lads and gents; the main event has arrived” he sung, presenting himself in the doorway with great arrogance perfected over years of practice.

The silence he was met with was as expected, everyone with functioning eyes could never quite ignore the dark suit that highlighted his many golden jewels- or perfectly applied makeup accentuating his tan skin and bone structure- on their first viewing.

His sharp green eyes, surrounded by a dusting of golden eyeshadow, scanned the room for the weakest link; a habit born from years of successful dupes and intimidation.

Though right now he wasn’t using it for anything so insidious. 

He briefly paused on Jeremy, something tugging inside him as he caught the blush creeping up the shorter man’s neck.

He snapped out of it quickly enough, though; choosing a tactical perch on the back of a couch overlooking the game of monopoly he’d apparently interrupted.

When they continued to stare, Gavin cocked an eyebrow “what’s wrong?”

When everyone else stayed quiet, Michael rolled his eyes and turned to the hacker with a scrunched nose “they didn’t expect you to look so hot.”

And with that, the two women with brightly dyed hair in the corner burst out laughing; the brit quickly identifying them as Lindsay Jones and Fiona Nova.

Gav let a smirk onto his face, running his hands through his gelled hair to show off the golden hair-friendly spray he’d applied.

“It’s only natural, I suppose. But please, don’t let me distract you so much,” he slid down to squeeze between Jack and Geoff on his chosen couch “we’ll be working together from now on, after all”

“We were already working together” Ryan grumbled, handing the hacker a silver car so he could play.

“shut up, you’re in jail,” Alfredo chirped, before his expression soured “oh dangit, why do I always land on YOUR property, Lindsay?”

“Ha! Pay up, bitch!”

“Hell no, I’m gonna loot your fancy hotels!”

Lindsay let out a dramatic gasp “Michael, he’s trying to rob your wife!”

“He’s WHAT? ‘Fredo, how could you!” said husband cried from his position by the tv playing one of the Zelda games, turning to look at the other criminal in mock outrage. 

“I’m sorry, but if she’d stop charging so much then I wouldn’t need to!”

“Boys, please, you’re both pretty. Alfredo, stop stealing Lindsay’s money; and Michael, stop rolling up your sleeves” Jack sighed, handing Gavin the dice.

====

The rest of the day went quite well, after that.

Drinks, games, stories.

By the time the sunset, Gavin was stumbling towards his room with a laugh bubbling on his lips; listening to the distressed groan from Ryan after processing the brits last nonsensical question.

He closed his door behind him and flopped onto the bed, wrapping the blankets around him and ignoring the fact he was still fully clothed, and the makeup would definitely be smudged in the morning.

He sighed into the cool fabric, closing his eyes and thinking about the group.

Jeremy popped into his head, eyes wide and blush creeping up his neck like he’d been this morning.

The brit felt his cheeks warm, eyebrows furrowing.

_‘Oh no.’_

Jeremy had consistently been the friendliest member in the room, offering reassurance in his tougher times.

The shorter mans smile always lightened his mood, and he didn’t look half bad, either.

_‘Oh tits.’_

He knew what was happening now.

He was falling for Jeremy Dooley.

_‘Bullocks’_


	9. chapter 9

The next morning, as his drunk self predicted, his sheets were stained with makeup and his clothes bunched up uncomfortably.

But at least his aviators had fallen off the bed, he’d have hated to crush them.

The mild hangover tapping at his skull bothered him enough to flail for a water bottle he kept under his bed for intensive workdays- but as he did so, he ended up knocking something hard off his side table instead.

“Shit” he cursed, hearing the object ‘thunk’ to the floor and the trickle of something liquid escaping it.

Opening an eye, blurry with sleep, he leant over to check the damage.

A glass cup rested on the floor, darkening patch of carpet floor surrounding it alluding to the former presence of water in its now empty state.

_‘Eloquent’_ he grumbled, gingerly lifting it back onto the small table beside his bed and making a note of not stepping on that patch of carpet for now.

A small piece of paper was also sat by the glass, so the brit picked it up and squinted.

‘Hey! Here’s some water for the headache you’ll probably have this morning- Lil J.’

He felt his heart flutter, burying his face back into the bed to try and suppress the rising heat in his cheeks.

_‘Why does he have to be so nice?’_ the hacker whined, pulling the blankets over his head as butterflies grew in his stomach.

_‘And since when was I a giggling schoolkid about love?’_

With a huff, he pulled himself out of bed and headed for the kitchen to refill the glass and grab some pain medication.

Alfredo and Fiona were chatting at the bench when he shuffled in, both shooting him intrigued glances at the sight of his dishevelled form.

“You’ve been a shut-in since birth, haven’t you” Diaz stated, eyebrow raised.

Scrunching up his nose, Gavin grumbled back “no, all my current work’s just on computers at the mo.”

Fiona gave him an unsatisfied look “but isn’t that boring?”

With an eyeroll, the brit swept a hand through his hair and struck a suave pose “you don’t become a brilliant hacker like me without patience.”

Both of them shared an amused glance.

“Yeah, and great acting skills” Alfredo teased.

Instead of showing any embarrassment, the hacker gave him a bow “that, too.”

“Y’know what?” Fiona said, resting her head on a hand with a glint in her eye “you’re fun, let’s go to a bar tonight.”

“As a date? Because I’d have to decli-.”

“Nah,” she waved him off “just as friends, you’re not my type.”

“Ooooohhhh!” 

Gavin faked a hurt look before finally getting around to actually preparing his breakfast “I am SHOCKED- no, truly APPALED- at your lack of attraction.”

“Well get used to it, bitch; that’s how life be!” she cackled. 

He smiled.

_’I guess this is alright.’_


End file.
